Lord Triesman: Today my honourable friend the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education (Bill Rammell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
	Lord Triesman will attend the Education Council on 15 November, representing both DIUS and DCSF interests. The agenda items are as follows:
	Education
	Ministers are expected to reach political agreement on the proposed European qualifications framework, following amendments agreed with the European Parliament. These amendments are in line with the general approach that was agreed at a previous council.
	Ministers will be asked to adopt conclusions on improving the quality of teacher education. These are aimed at improving both teacher training and the qualifications required by teachers, which are not formalised in many European countries. The UK is content with the text.
	Ministers are expected to adopt resolutions on "New skills for new jobs" and on "Education and training as a key driver of the Lisbon Strategy". These emphasise the importance of skills in the knowledge economy and the role of education and training in achieving the Lisbon goals. The education and skills contribution to the Lisbon agenda will be further discussed at an informal ministerial lunch.
	It is expected that a general approach will be agreed on the extension of the Erasmus Mundus higher education programme from 2009-14. The UK supports this text. There will be an exchange of views on promoting the mobility of students, in particular regarding support for students from less favourable socio-economic backgrounds.
	Theree will also be an exchange of views on an action plan to promote multilingualism and on a resolution on modernising universities for Europe's global competitiveness. This resolution is to be finalised at the Competitiveness Council on 22 and 23 November.

Lord Malloch-Brown: My honourable friend the Minister for Europe (Jim Murphy) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will be held on 19 and 20 November in Brussels. I will represent the UK at the Foreign Ministers' discussions. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Des Browne) and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Douglas Alexander) will attend the Defence and Development Ministers' discussions.
	The agenda items are as follows:
	Foreign Ministers
	General Affairs
	Preparation of the European Council on 13/14 December
	Thee council is expected to discuss the draft annotated agenda for the European Council in December on 13 and 14 December. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister explained to Parliament on 22 October, the priority for the EU now must be the global challenges that we face: employment, prosperity, competitiveness, climate change and security. The Government look forward to the European Council addressing these issues when it meets next month.
	Maritime Policy
	The Commission is expected to brief the council on maritime policy. The Government consider it important to maintain and promote the competitiveness of the EU maritime sector as part of the Lisbon agenda.
	Commission Legislative Work Programme 2008
	Thee council is expected to discuss the Commission legislative work programme 2008, which the Government welcome, given its focus on delivering results, better regulation, tackling climate change and promoting jobs and growth.
	Preparatione of the EU Summits with China and India
	The council is expected to discuss preparation for the EU summits with China and India on 28 and 30 November respectively. The Government want the joint statements for the summits to cover climate security, including a commitment to work towards a low-carbon future and a successful outcome at the UN climate change conference in Bali, 3 to 14 December 2007. The Government will also want the summits to discuss Burma and to encourage all neighbours to bring their influence to bear on contributing towards a democratic and stable Burma.
	Preparation of the EU Summit with Africa
	The council is expected to discuss preparation for the EU summit with Africa on 8 December, including the endorsement of the EU-Africa joint strategy and the action plan, which the Government support, and discussion of governance and human rights issues at the summit. The Government will argue for a substantive discussion of these issues, including the situation in Zimbabwe.
	Pakistan
	The council is expected to discuss the state of emergency in Pakistan. The Government believe that it is important that the EU maintains pressure on President Musharraf to restore the constitution, as set out in the EU declaration of 6 November.
	Middle East
	The council is expected to discuss an action plan outlining ways in which the EU can provide further practical support to the Middle East peace process, which the Government welcome. The council is expected to adopt conclusions highlighting support for the Annapolis meeting in late November.
	The council is expected to discuss Lebanon in light of political tensions surrounding the forthcoming presidential elections.
	Iran
	High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, is expected to brief the council on his contacts with the Iranian authorities and on his report to E3+3 Ministers (Germany, France, UK, China, Russia and the US), which we expect him to deliver before the GAERC. Ministers are expected to reaffirm the commitment that they made at the October GAERC to consider, after recommendations from working groups, the further steps that the EU can take to support the agreed twin-track international approach to the Iranian nuclear issue. The Government believe that it is crucial that Iran complies with its international obligations and the twin-track approach is the best way to achieve this goal.
	Iraq
	The council is expected to discuss EU engagement with Iraq. The Government welcome discussion of the EU's financial, technical and political support towards a secure and stable Iraq. It also welcomes Foreign Minister Zebari's invitation to the council and the opportunity that this presents for the EU to step up its engagement.
	Western Balkans
	Ambassadore Wolfgang Ischinger is expected to brief the council on progress in talks between the troika (EU, Russia and US) and Belgrade and Pristina to secure a negotiated settlement on the status of Kosovo. The council is likely to adopt conclusions reaffirming its support for ongoing efforts by the troika to reach agreement on a status settlement in Kosovo and reiterating its support for High Representative Miroslav Lajcak in advancing key reforms in Bosnia. The Government fully support the efforts by the troika to find agreement, but will emphasise the importance of the EU being prepared to act in the event that agreement is not possible by December 10.
	Georgia
	The council is expected to discuss recent events in Georgia.e The Government welcome this discussion, given the recent developments, including the declaration of a state of emergency by President Saakashvili in Georgia.
	European Security and Defence Policy Conclusions
	The council is expected to adopt conclusions under the European security and defence policy (ESDP) on current operations and missions, capability development, including the European Defence Agency, human rights issues and co-operation between the EU and the African Union in strengthening African capabilities.
	Chad/Sudan-Darfur
	Thee council is expected to discuss the upcoming EU mission to Chad/Central African Republic, including force generation for the mission. The council is also expected to discuss the security situation in Sudan/Darfur, drawing on the ESDP council conclusions reaffirming the EU's support for ongoing efforts by the UN and the African Union to resolve the conflict in Darfur and welcoming the forthcoming deployment of UNAMID, the UN/African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur. The Government welcome the conclusions, strongly supporting the need for a comprehensive and regional approach.
	European Defence Agency
	The head of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Alexander Weis, will brief the council on the agency's activities in 2007, before discussing the agency's agenda in 2008.
	The EDA steering board also meets on 19 November and is expected to agree the agency's 2008 work programme. Ministers will also discuss the European defence research and technology strategy framework and the agency's benchmarks.
	Operation EUFOR Althea (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
	The political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has deteriorated over the past year, leading the EU to postpone signature of BiH's stabilisation and association agreement (the first of many steps towards EU membership) in October 2007, following the collapse of police reform talks. The Government believe that the EU and the international community should continue to encourage leaders in Bosnia to exercise restraint and to continue to engage in dialogue with each other and with the High Representative.
	The council is expected to discuss EUFOR Althea, the EU military peacekeeping operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in light of these recent political developments. The Government support EUFOR remaining at current levels during this period of uncertainty.
	Military Capabilities
	The council will be briefed on the headline goal progress catalogue. This represents the finalisation of four years' work from first instigation of the headline goal 2010 through the production of the requirements catalogue in 2005, the bidding stage in 2006 and finally the complex analysis of the shortfalls and risks that has been undertaken by the EU military staff and headline goal task force managed by successive presidencies. The Government want EU member states to focus on how to prioritise these shortfalls and decide where to invest resources. They will call for further consultation and co-operation with NATO and for work on improving the EU's intra-theatre transport capability.
	The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, will present a paper identifying possible areas of improving EU military staff in early planning capability.
	Development and Security
	The council will adopt conclusions on development and security in four areas: strategic planning, security sector reform, the EU-Africa partnership on security and development and humanitarian aid. The Government support the ongoing process in the EU to reinforce the security/development nexus. They will focus on ensuring delivery of an implementation plan and call for follow-up during successive presidencies.
	Orientation Debate on the Effectiveness of EU External Action
	The council is expected to focus on the Africa-EU strategic partnership and action plans in advance of the EU-Africa summit on 8 December. Ministers will discuss the consequences and impacts of the strategy on EU external action, on the basis of a presidency paper. The Government will push for agreement of the strategy and action plans and continue to push for action on millennium development goals, climate change and peace and security. We expect member states to be supportive of the strategic partnership and its goals, and to commit to implementation of the strategy.
	Towards an EU Response to Situations of Fragility
	The council will adopt conclusions on the development of an EU policy and improved practices on the situation of fragile states. The EU's response to fragile situations is critical, as fragile states pose a great challenge, both in terms of the achievement of the millennium development goals and in terms of global and regional security. The Government support the implementation of the measures proposed in the Commission's communication to increase co-ordination and coherence.
	Policy Coherence for Development
	The council is expected to adopt conclusions on policy coherence for development, including on climate change and migration. The discussion is expected to focus on the launch of the EU's first two-yearly report, reporting on the extent to which EU member states have fulfilled their commitments to integrate development concerns within broader policy-making and highlighting key outstanding issues for the next reporting period.
	Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)
	The council will discuss the Commission's communication on economic partnership agreements. The core of the Commission's strategy is to agree goods-only agreements this year ahead of the deadline on 1 January before returning to services and other trade-related areas in the future. The Government want to ensure that EPAs deliver on their development potential. The Government will also want to make clear that the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries should not be bound to taking commitments on non-goods issues. It is their choice to negotiate on those elements.
	Advancing Agriculture in Africa
	The council is expected to discuss the advancing African agriculture strategy proposal for continental and regional-level co-operation on agricultural development in Africa, which the Government support. A better aligned and coherent EU response will help Africa to achieve its goal of agricultural-led growth and a more predictable response to dealing with hunger, and be better equipped to respond to the challenges presented by climate change.
	Partnership with Cape Verde
	Thee council is expected to discuss a partnership between the EU and the Republic of Cape Verde, a small Portuguese-speaking island off the coast of west Africa. In line with the Cotonou agreement, this anticipates that Cape Verde will become a partner in increased police and judicial co-operation with Europe.
	AOB: Ratification on the Cotonou Partnership Agreement
	EU member states need to ratify the revised EU's partnershipe agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states (known as the Cotonou agreement) and the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) by the end of 2007 in order for both to come into effect. Member states that have not already done so will be encouraged to conclude their ratification processes as soon as possible. The Government completed their ratification process in September.

Lord Darzi of Denham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The independent sector is playing an important and increasing role within the NHS, providing high-quality treatment and choice for patients, and innovation, dynamism and contestability for existing National Health Service providers. Alongside the hard work of staff and in every organisation, the use of the independent sector is an integral part of our success in delivering dramatic falls in waiting times for patients. That is why we have taken a number of measures to make better use of the independent sector:
	in the first wave of the independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme we established 23 fixed site ISTCs, a mobile ophthalmology service, a mobile MRI scanning service, a chlamydia screening service and six walk-in centres. This investment worth over £1.4 billion has provided nearly 800,000 elective procedures, diagnostic assessments and episodes of primary care to NHS patients and is helping to reduce waiting times in those areas. I am today providing further information on each first-wave scheme, including the contract value, volume of activity, case mix by volume and utilisation rates, and in future these data will be published annually;there has been rapid growth in patients choosing to be referred to the 129 independent sector hospitals currently registered under the extended choice scheme. The value of activity has doubled in the last month alone. From April 2008, all patients referred for an elective procedure will be able to choose to go to any hospital in England which meets NHS standards and price. This already applies for orthopaedics and from December will cover general surgery, gynaecology and cardiology; and we are procuring additional GP services through the fairness in primary care initiative from a range of providers including the independent sector, and as announced last month we will be inviting bidders for further primary care contracts as we roll out new GP-led health centres and extra GP surgeries in deprived areas. In addition, we are offering primary care trusts the opportunity to use independent sector expertise in developing their commissioning function.
	As I said to the Health Select Committee in July, independent sector procurement will have to meet the local needse of patients and offer sound value for money for taxpayers. Where it meets these requirements we will increase the role of the independent sector in the provision of NHS services.
	Thee department has therefore undertaken a thorough revalidation of all the schemes currently being procured nationally through the ISTC programme to ensure they meet these objectives.
	The director-general of the commercial directorate has advised that I proceed with the procurement of the following schemes:
	PET CT North Diagnostics (additional CT scans);PET CT South Diagnostics (additional CT scans);Renal (provision of dialysis treatment);Hampshire and Isle of Wight Electives (Southampton element);Greater Manchester (B) Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services;Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Electives;Essex Electives;Hertfordshire Electives;Greater Manchester (A) Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services; andLondon North Electives.
	I am pleased to announce that three of these—PET CT North, PET CT South and the Renal scheme—have been approved to move to financial close. The department will conclude decisions on the remaining schemes no later than the end of March 2008.
	However, the director-general has concluded that the following schemes should not proceed as they were unlikely to provide acceptable value for money as the local NHS has successfully improved capacity to meet patients' needs. These are:
	North East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Referral Assessment Diagnostics and Treatment Service;North East Diagnostics;South East Diagnostics;Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge Electives;Cumbria and Lancashire Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service; and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Electives (Lymington element)
	In addition, the director-general has advised that the contract with Care UK for the provision of diagnostic services in the West Midlands should be terminated because of an unacceptably low rate of use (5 per cent utilisation to date), and a very low prospect of the utilisation increasing which represents poor value for money to the taxpayer. In short, a significant increase in productivity by local NHS providers has substantially reduced the need for the capacity provided by this scheme with waiting times for most diagnostics reduced from more than one year to currently three weeks on average.
	The reduction in the overall size of the procurement does not represent a change in policy. As I have stated before, we will continue to use the independent sector. However, as I said to the Health Select Committee, we will now move towards greater local procurement of services. This will enable primary care trusts to take procurement decisions quickly on behalf of their patients rather than waiting for a prolonged process run from Whitehall. We believe that this will be a more effective route for increasing the quality of the role which the independent sector is able to provide in the NHS
	To support this move I am announcing today the establishment of an independent sector procurement forum as a means for independent and third sector providers to advise the department on policies and practices related to local procurement of clinical services in order to ensure a level playing field. The forum will draw on a range of expertise and experience, including Ivan Bradbury of InHealth Netcare and Sir Ian Carruthers of the South West Strategic Health Authority. The forum will be advisory and act as a channel for the market to communicate and advise the department on PCT procurement policies and practices.
	We remain committed to choice, to empower patients and drive improvements in the quality of care. For choice to be truly effective, and for all providers to be able to compete fairly, it is essential that all patients are aware that they can now choose the hospital they are referred to. In the run-up to the start of free choice, we will raise public awareness of choice through, for example, NHS Choices and other means, as well as encouraging local providers to inform patients about the local choices available to them, and publishing a code of promotion to help guide them in this. To ensure fairness we will also:
	publish clear competition principles and simple rules for commissioners and providers to apply consistently for all those that provide services on behalf of the NHS, including social enterprise and third sector organisations as well as the independent sector; establish a competition panel to provide independent advice on competition issues to SHAs, which they would be expected to follow working closely with their PCTs. The panel will only consider issues where action to resolve issues have been exhausted; andseek to open up membership of the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) to many non-NHS providers of NHS care.
	Our approach to the independent sector is pragmatic, not ideological. Where independent sector providers offer good value for money, innovation, and high-quality patient care, we will continue to bring them in to work as part of the family of NHS providers.